CORONA: 2013 not a good year for hospital

Mark Uffer was named CEO of Corona Regional Medical Center in October.

No doubt the folks at Corona Regional Medical Center are relieved to see the end of 2013. It has not been a good year for the city’s only acute care hospital.

The year began with a hangover from the year before, when 50 staff physicians in September 2012 voted in support of a no-confidence vote for Chief Executive Officer Kevan Metcalfe and a request that he resign immediately. Physicians were upset with cuts in administrative staff and efforts to contract out for physicians — without their input — instead of keeping those currently employed.

On Jan. 3 and 4, nurses at the hospital voted 155 to 116 to join United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals. The vote followed more than a month-long campaign by union representatives and the hospital administration.

But the certification was delayed when the hospital exercised its right to object to the election, citing, among other things, pressure from physicians to have the nurses vote for the union.

In May, a jury awarded a former respiratory therapist at the hospital $514,000, upholding the claim that he was fired for filing complaints over unsafe health care conditions and wage and hour violations at the facility.

Then in August, the hospital announced it would close its pediatric unit, forcing children who would have been admitted to the hospital to be treated elsewhere.

The decision was hardly a popular one, and was roundly criticized by members of the Corona City Council. Interestingly, a resolution opposing the closing was placed on the council agenda at the next meeting, but almost magically disappeared at the beginning of the meeting. No reason was given by then-Mayor Jason Scott.

While initially the hospital wouldn’t comment on whether any of the unit’s nurses would lose their jobs, Metcalfe later confirmed that nine would be laid off.

A week later, Metcalfe was gone. The press release that announced his resignation gave no reason for his departure. Jared Giles, who has been an associate administrator at the hospital for a year and a half, was named interim CEO the day Metcalfe resigned.

Mark Uffer took over as permanent CEO at the end of October, and five weeks later the hospital announced that the pediatric unit would reopen. But even that good news was tempered with the decision to lay off about 40 licensed vocational nurses and nurses’ aides.

When I asked an official at the hospital whether reopening the pediatrics unit could have something to do with Children’s Hospital of Orange County opening a pediatric center in Corona, the answer was no. It was just a coincidence.

In November — 10 months after the initial vote — the National Labor Relations Board rejected the hospital’s appeal on the vote by nurses to unionize. But as Yogi used to say, it’s not over till it’s over. The hospital has filed another appeal, delaying certification of the election till who knows when.

Finally, in December, the hospital was cited by Cal/OSHA, which oversees health and safety issues, for failure to notify employees about the presence of asbestos and two other violations. The total fine was $1,455.

I must tell you that writing this is no fun. Over the years I’ve respected and been friends with doctors, nurses and even administrators at Corona Regional Medical Center. My gall bladder and appendix were removed at the hospital, I’ve paid several visits to its ER, and I won’t even get into colonoscopies.

In my opinion, the hospital brings much of this on itself. After the NLRB rejected the appeal on the union election, a physician in town who’s been following the case told me, “Maybe now the wounds will heal.” (I guess that’s how doctors talk.) Instead, the hospital appealed the appeal, making only the lawyers happy.

With the purchase of the hospital in 2004 by Universal Health Services, headquartered in Pennsylvania, a corporation 2,500 miles away was now making local decisions. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but what I noticed most — because I’m in the business — was the sudden timidity of the hospital in sharing information.

I did stories on most of the events above. Invariably, the hospital failed to take the initiative in releasing information about any of them, and was slow to respond when I asked for comment or confirmation. And always it took the form of an emailed press release rather than a phone call that would allow me to seek clarification or expand on the press release.

Even though I’m a sensitive guy, I don’t take this personally. But part of my job is to inform readers of decisions that affect them. When the hospital fails to share information — good or bad — it does a disservice not to me, but to those it’s in business to serve. I hope that changes.

Maybe next January I’ll be able to write a column on how 2014 was such a good year for Corona Regional Medical Center.

-- Peter Fischetti can be reached at pfischetti@pe.com. Like him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PE.Peter Fischetti

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